Nokia Shuts Biggest Store in Shanghai

The once ruling phone-maker Nokia is sure battling tough times. After selling their Finnish headquarters last year, Nokia is now shutting down exclusive Nokia stores too. The Finnish phone maker recently confirmed the shutdown of their biggest store in Shanghai.

The store which was Nokia’s flagship store and the largest their largest in the world was shut down on March 31 this year. However, Nokia refused to speak to the media breaking the silence much after the shut-down.

Nokia explained that while the company is definitely not deserting the Chinese market, instead of having their own properties, they are looking at retailers and distribution arms for better reach. According to a Nokia spokesperson: “Nokia is focusing on growing its presence in operator and third-party retail outlets, rather than through our own physical stores. We are, of course, also continuously beefing up our online presence. With this in mind, our store in Shanghai was closed on 31 March.” The statement was provided to ZDNet who confirmed the news of the closure with Nokia.

The future looks bleak for Nokia as despite its success with the new Windows 8 phones, there is still a long way to go for the company. The Chinese markets look especially bad as Nokia’s market shares have declined sharply in China. Nokia seems to be struggling to survive in what was once considered its strongest market.

The advent of Android and Apple’s popularity in China have definitely not helped the struggling phonemaker. While Apple is getting stronger in the Asian markets, Nokia seems to be slowly falling behind. Also, considering two of the most popular Android implementers, Samsung and HTC both come from Asian markets, they have a stronghold over China.

Nokia’s decision to shift from Symbian to Microsoft might have saved the company from doomsday but it has definitely not gone well with their biggest market. Is this another nail in the coffin for Nokia?